About vcard QR codes
A vCard QR code contains a complete contact record. Instead of someone typing your details from a business card, their phone offers to save a new contact with your name, number, email, company, and address already filled in.
This is the QR code to put on a business card, an email signature, a conference badge, or a shop window. Because it holds far more data than a URL, the pattern is denser — which makes size and contrast matter more than usual.
How to make one
- Fill in at least a name and one way to reach you. Every other field is optional.
- Leave out what you do not need — the fewer characters, the simpler the pattern and the easier it scans.
- Scan the preview yourself and check the saved contact looks right before printing.
- Download the PNG. For a business card, print it at 2 cm or larger.
What gets encoded
The code holds plain text in a format phones recognise. For this type it looks like this:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Lovelace;Ada;;; FN:Ada Lovelace TEL;TYPE=CELL:+15551234567 EMAIL;TYPE=INTERNET:ada@example.com END:VCARD
vCard 3.0, the version with the widest phone support. Commas and semicolons in your details are escaped automatically, because unescaped ones split a field in two and silently lose data.
Tips
- Write phone numbers in international format, starting +, so they work when scanned abroad.
- A long note or full address makes the code noticeably denser. If it looks like fine grain, cut a field or print it larger.
- If you expect the details to change, point a URL QR code at a contact page instead — then you can update the page without reprinting.
- Test on both an iPhone and an Android phone if you are ordering a large print run.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between vCard and MeCard?
Both store contact details. vCard is the richer, more widely supported format and is what this generator produces; MeCard is a shorter Japanese format that yields a smaller code but carries fewer fields.
Why does my vCard QR code look so dense?
Because a contact record is far more data than a web address. Every field adds modules to the grid. Remove optional fields or print the code larger — dense codes need more physical size to scan reliably.
Do you see what I type here?
No. The code is generated entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter on this page is sent to our servers or stored anywhere.
Does this QR code expire?
No. The details are encoded directly into the pattern itself, so the code does not depend on this site or any account. It keeps working even if this site disappears, with no scan limit and no watermark.
Other QR code types
New to this? The QR code guide covers error correction, sizing for print, and the four reasons codes fail to scan.